Oscars 2020: Stars that stunned and shocked on the red carpet

These Hollywood stars stunned on the red carpet, but some didn’t quite hit the mark.

Natalie Portman has responded to Rose McGowan's criticism, in which she said that she found 'Portman’s type of activism deeply offensive to those of us who actually do the work,”' calling Portman out for reportedly only working with one other woman director in her film career.

In a year where the lack of female director nominees has been noticed and commented upon at all the major awards shows, Natalie Portman's Dior cape, which paid homage to a list of women who were overlooked for this year's Oscars nominee list, has drawn a whole lot of comment.

None were so vocal, perhaps, than actor and activist Rose McGowan, who criticised Portman for being a hypocrite for wearing the cape, claiming the actor had only ever worked with two female directors - and one of them was herself.

Writing on her Facebook page, McGowan said she found “Portman’s type of activism deeply offensive to those of us who actually do the work.”

McGowan accused Portman of being an example of hollow activism, writing: "Actresses who supposedly stand for women, but in reality do not do much at all," arguing her career choices were evidence of all talk and no action.

"Natalie, you have worked with two female directors in your very long career—one of them was you. You have a production company that has hired exactly one female director—you," McGowan wrote.

"You are the problem. Lip service is the problem. Fake support of other women is the problem."

But it ain't the end of it, with Variety reporting on Portman's response to McGowan overnight.

“I agree with Ms. McGowan that it is inaccurate to call me ‘brave’ for wearing a garment with women’s names on it,” Portman said.

“Brave is a term I more strongly associate with actions like those of the women who have been testifying against Harvey Weinstein the last few weeks, under incredible pressure.”

Rose McGowan has spoken out on Instagram.Source:Whimn

Although McGowan is not listed to testify at his trial, she has spoken repeatedly about being an alleged abuse survivor at the hands of Weinstein.

Portman also addressed McGowan's comments about her lack of work with women directors, saying that "the past few years have seen a blossoming of directing opportunities for women due to the collective efforts of many people who have been calling out the system. The gift has been these incredible films. I hope that what was intended as a simple nod to them does not distract from their great achievements."

Portman also added that while she has worked with female directors on short films, commercials, music videos, and other features, she has found it hard to get female-led films greenlit, or that women have been “forced out of because of the conditions they faced at work.

“After they are made, female-directed films face difficulty getting into festivals, getting distribution and getting accolades because of the gatekeepers at every level. So I want to say, I have tried, and I will keep trying. While I have not yet been successful, I am hopeful that we are stepping into a new day.”

It seems both women are fighting for the same thing, and while they might not agree on everything - nor even be fans of one another - we can all agree that we want to see more women directing films, and more women recognised for their work directing films. Then we'll all be winners.